Sister, Sister
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Spoilers up to 1.10 with speculation for the future. Alice dies in her arms, and Kate breaks. Beth and Mary step up to take care of their grieving sister.


Alice's body shudders, takes its last breath in her arms, and Kate just _shatters_. Everything feels off and hazy even when the paramedics, police, and Sophie arrive just minutes later. "Kate, can you let go of her body?" Sophie questions in such a soft tone that Kate's a little shocked.

"She's dead. My sister is dead."

"She is, sweetheart, and I'm so sorry. But we need to take her to the morgue. Can you please let go?" Sophie grabs Kate's hand and resists the urge to pull her away from Alice, knowing that she needs to do this.

Through the haze, Kate reluctantly detaches herself from Alice and stands up with Sophie's help. "Where are my sisters? Dad?" She needs to know they're all safe.

"Jacob, Beth, and Mary are at the house. Somebody's going to give you a ride, okay? You shouldn't be driving right now because it seems like you're in shock."

She'd normally protest, insist she can drive herself, but Kate doesn't have it in her. She just nods and lets a policeman lead her to his patrol car. Before she knows it, she's at her childhood home. "Thank you for bringing her here," Jacob tells the policeman, who just nods. He turns to face his daughter after closing the door. "Kate, baby, are you hurt?"

She shakes her head, wishing she could shake the fog out of her mind. "No, I'm fine."

Beth and Mary exchange a worried glance. "You're covered in blood. Why don't we get you cleaned up?" Mary suggests.

"We'll take care of her," Beth assures their father. She's only a little surprised when Kate latches onto her arm and won't let go as they lead her to the bathroom, making a quick stop to grab some clothes. Kate doesn't even have enough energy to even whine when her sisters take her clothes off and push her into the shower.

"You got her?" Mary asks.

Beth nods. "What are you doing?"

"Going to throw these clothes out because I'm pretty sure Kate's not going to want to touch them again. I'll check her over for injuries once she's cleaned up." Mary bites her lip, clearly still fretting over their sister.

Beth understands completely. "We'll be okay. You can go, Mary."

Mary nods and reluctantly leaves the bathroom, heading to find a garbage bag. Beth turns on the hot water, cringing at the temperature and feeling like she's getting stabbed but she doesn't complain. And once the hot water finally hits Kate, it cuts through the fog she's been stuck in ever since her twin died in her arms. She gasps and looks up at Beth. "Alice?" she asks.

It's like a dagger's been pierced through her heart, and Beth grieves the loss with her sister. "Beth," she reminds her as she starts washing off Kate.

Kate _still_ doesn't protest, just lets Beth do her thing without any complaints. "You're not going to leave me?" she asks before she can stop herself.

Beth's heart breaks even more. "I'm not going to leave you," she vows, turning off the water just as Mary returns.

Kate's still a little out of it, which concerns them both, and she doesn't even wince when Mary stitches up some cuts. The two of them even have to help dress her but she walks down to the living room of her own volition. Jacob is shocked at the state of his daughter once he lays eyes on her again - she wasn't even like this after her mother's death and Beth's disappearance - there was a fire in her then but it's dimmed now. He hugs her before she sits down on the couch. "I'm here if you ever need to talk." He's grieving Alice too, despite the fact that she killed his wife and framed her for her murder. She was his Beth, even though another one's standing right in front of him (and shit, that's still hard to wrap his mind around months later).

"That's nice," Kate answers. She's grateful to have her dad right now but he's not who she needs at the moment.

The girls and Jacob exchanged worried looks once more. "Are you hungry? I can make something or order out," Mary suggests.

"That sounds like fun doesn't it?" Beth tries to not avail.

"I'm not hungry." The lack of appetite doesn't even really concern Kate even though she knows it should. Her sister isn't coming back this time, and she has to accept it. The nausea rises up within her so fast she's surprised Beth had the forethought to grab a garbage can and shove it under her face.

She laughs despite the situation when they all wince. "I'm getting you something anyway - something light. You need to eat." Mary isn't backing down on this and neither is Beth.

"Fine." Kate just sighs and leans down on the couch, putting her head in Beth's lap.

Beth starts stroking her hair and rubbing her arm then smiles at her sister. This Kate has been hardened by their mother and Alice's deaths and all the shit that followed but her sister, the one she grew up with, is still in there somewhere. She loves Kate and is not about to give up and takes comfort in the fact that Mary and their father feel the same way.

"Is there anything I can do or get?" Jacob feels useless.

Kate shakes her head and grumbles when Mary forces her to sit up as she hands her a cup of soup that's mostly broth. "Eat half and I'll be happy, okay?" Mary flashes her a smile and sits down next to Kate so she's squished between her and Beth.

After Kate eats, the exhaustion - which has settled into her bones - finally gets to her and she has to force herself to her room. She's grateful that Beth and Mary won't let her alone.

Everything still feels hopeless as her eyes slip shut, however.

* * *

Kate's family isn't even surprised when she wakes up and heads into the work the next morning, although they are dismayed. "I'm going with her," Beth declares.

"She's going to be so pissed," Mary points out.

"And I don't give a fuck. I know Luke's there but I'm not leaving her alone."

Mary just sighs. "Good luck. Pretty sure you're going to need it." She wouldn't be surprised if Kate tries to push Beth away today - she seemed a little better and not out of it as much this morning.

Beth snorts and hugs Mary. "Thanks. You're an awesome sister."

Mary blushes. "Right back at you." She likes this Beth, the one who didn't suffer as much, and feels a little guilt - but not much. Alice did kill her mother, after all, and she can't forgive that, not even in death. But she'll never tell Kate that, especially when she's clearly in so much pain (never mind that her sister will likely see right through her and call her out once she's back to normal and not robo-Kate).

Beth heads to Wayne Manor and thanks Luke when he lets her in. "She's scaring me a bit. Good luck," Luke tells her.

"Thanks," she sarcastically answers before finding Kate.

Her sister's sitting at her desk, clearly zoned out a bit. Beth claps her hands and Kate's head snaps up. "What are you doing here, Beth?"

"I'm here to pull you out of your own head, Katherine Gabrielle Kane."

"Wow, full naming me, are we, Elizabeth Marie?"

"Yeah, no. Why are you here at work? Batwoman can take the day off - you're allowed to grieve."

"I'm not grieving," Kate lies.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive, but did you see yourself last night? And like right now?" Beth crosses her arms and glares at her twin.

Kate glares right back, unimpressed. "Go home, Beth."

Beth instead sits down. "Nope, staying right here."

"Beth!"

"Kate!" she shoots back.

"Why are you so fucking annoying?"

"Because we're twins and I know you, and know pretty much how you're feeling right now. It's okay to be hurting, Kate. There's nothing wrong with it."

"My Beth died a long time ago, and Alice wasn't anything like her. I'm not grieving." Kate sighed and tried to focus on her computer screen.

"Alice was still your sister and this can't be easy. She died in your arms. There's no getting past that." Beth refuses to let her sister suffer if she can help it. Mary feels the exact same way and would be here if she could, knows she's going to feel guilty about this come tonight.

Kate stands up. "Do I have to have Luke kick you out?"

"Try me, sis." Beth laughs at the look of outrage on her face.

"You two are so different yet so alike," Kate observes. This is the Beth her sister could have been if she and her father hadn't given up.

"There's a lot of shit that's different about us."

Kate's chest hurts but she can't afford to cry so she stifles a sob. "The trauma broke Beth and Alice killed her, wasn't the same sister I grew up with."

Beth waits patiently for the meltdown, wishing she could hold her twin. Her heart aches so much right now and knows it's ten times worse for Kate so she pushes down her own feelings. This isn't about her, even though it sorta is. "I know, and that really fucking sucks. But you're not alone - Dad, Mary, and I are here, and so are all your friends. Luke wants to help, and I know Sophie does too. You just need to let us in, Katherine. You're safe now."

The sobs are building now and there's nothing Kate can do to stop them. She folds in on herself, her knees giving out, and slides to the floor. Beth gently lowers herself down, pulls Kate in for a hug, and starts rocking her. The sobs finally let loose, rattling Kate's body, and she can't stop shaking. "Fuck," she wails.

Beth starts rubbing her back and kisses the top of her head. "I love you, Katherine."

"Love you too," she gasps out through the sobs.

Fortunately, Luke leaves the Kane twins alone so there's no interruptions as Kate finally lets herself grieve for her lost sister. "We're all here for you, whatever you need. You want to go kick ass as Batwoman? Then go fucking do it, sis. But let yourself feel the loss."

"A part of me is missing now, which doesn't make sense since I thought she was dead before," Kate murmurs a few minutes later, trying in vain to stop crying.

"You still had a little hope left, right? It's different now - you know for sure." Beth refuses to let Kate go when her sister tries to squirm out of her grasp - she just holds on harder.

Kate sobs again. Alice was responsible for all the havoc she wreaked and the crimes she committed but Kate still wanted her to be better, to get Beth back. And she does still have Beth, which is fucking with her even more than usual. This isn't her Beth, as much as she loves her. And she hopes to hell that she gets to keep this one, even though the mere thought of it makes her selfish. "Don't go," she pleads.

Beth sniffles. "I'm not going anywhere - you're stuck with me now. Sorry." But she smiles and feels a sense of victory when Kate laughs, which turns into a cough. "Now you ready to go home, take the day off?"

Kate groans, feeling the exhaustion and grief in her bones again, and nods. "Yeah."

"Good." She stands up and then helps Kate into a standing position. They thank Luke on the way out as they head back to Kate's place - she couldn't go back home, where she knew their father was waiting. She couldn't face the man or else she'd fall apart again. Kate could only afford one breakdown at a time.

When they get home, Beth orders pizza and they settle in to watch one of their favorite movies on Netflix.

Kate is nowhere near okay, won't be for a while, and is still shattered, but she feels better with Beth by her side. Not whole or complete - she doesn't think she ever will be again - but the hole in her heart's closed a little.

Beth and Kate aren't with the sisters they grew up with but thanks to the new multiverse fucking shit up in a variety of ways, at least they're together now and have each other. They're so grateful to Mary and Jacob too. This new world definitely works in mysterious, fucked up ways, and they're forever grateful it brought the twins into each other's orbit. Kate will grieve the loss of Alice for the rest of her life but she feels a little better knowing that her twin is no longer suffering and won't be able to hurt anyone else. Beth counts herself lucky that she found her family again after her world died, and she's determined to be there for her sisters and father. While nothing has been the same since the crisis, that's okay - sometimes shit works out for a particular reason and they aren't going to question it.


End file.
